Combination adjustable school desk and chair



I 1,369,108, Patented Feb. 22,1921.

E. c. HOYER AND E. c. HOYER, JR.

COMBINATION ADJUSTABLE SCHOOL DESK AND CHAIR.

APPLICATION HLED MAR.24. 1920.

. 2 SHEETS-SHEET 1.

gvwwnlou E. C. HOYER AND E.- C. HOYER, Jn. -COMBINATION ADJUSTABLE SCHQOL DESK AND CHA|R.-

APPLICATION FILED MA|L24| I920.

Patented Feb. 22,1921.

-2 SHEETS-SHEET 2- iJNlTEDfi A ES PATENT LQF Y I EDWARD o. HOYER, or omonvnarr, onro, AND EDwnnD o. HoYnn, m, or VRICH- Mo D, VIRGINIA. y

COMBINATION ADJUSTABLE SCHOOL DESK AND CHAIR,

Specification of Letters Patent. Patented Feb. 22, 1921.

Application filed March 24, 1920. Serial No. 368,363.

To all whom it may concern 7 Be it known that we, EDWARD C. Home and EDWARD C. H YER, Jr, citizens of the United States, residing at Cincinnati and Richmond, respectively in the counties of .Hamilton and l-lenrico and States of Ohio and an object of the inventionis to provide a single standard provided with like :means at opposite portions, for adjustably supporting a chair seat. and a desk, the seat being in advance of the desk, so that when units of this kind are placed in rows in the school room, the seat in advance of one desk will be used by the pupil sitting at a the desk at the rear of the standard in advance. j I The invention furtheraims toprovide a single supporting standard 'for a chair and desk, and mounting saidparts on the standard in very close relative positions, so that in placing these units in rows, it is pos s ible to economize on the space consumed.

To. accomplish this result it is notonly the aim to adjust the chair seat and its back and the desk vertically ,]but it is also the aim to mount the back of the chair seat so that it may swing in a vertical plane relative to the seat in order to permit either the chair seat or the desk to have a partial rotary movement prior to its vertical ad: justment. In other words, in adjusting either the desk or the chair seat it is first necessary to impart a slight rotary move ment to one or the other, and since they are designed to be so closely arranged 1t 18 necessary to provide some means whereby. the back may be positioned substantially in a relative parallel plane with the chair seat in order to enable either'the seat or the desk to be given the partial rotary movement.

The invention further aims to provide an article of furniture of this kind' for school rooms wherein the chair seat'or the desk can be very readily adjusted without interfering Withthe other,;and without having an exceedingly limited vertical move ment, and this has been accomplished by the provision of a novel form of standard including a single brace, and forwardlyand rearwardly supporting arms, so relatively disposed as to support the deskancl the chair in close relative positions f The invention stillfurther aims to pro vice means whereby the back of the chair seat is capable of being swung in, a vertical plane to a position parallel withjthe chair seat so as to permit either. the chair, seat or the desk to partially turn-when adjusting the same.

The invention additionally aims to provide an improved adjustable-mountingfor V the standard or either the chair seat or the desk, of such simple, efiicientand practical construction as to permit it to be cheaply made and sold at a reasonable profit.

The invention alsoaims to use the improved mounting on a single standard, in order to support a single desk or a single chair so that a single desk n'iay be disposed at the front end of the row and a single chair at the rear end of the row.

'While the "design and construction at present illustrated andset forth is deemed reduction of the invention to .a .more practical' form for commercial purposes, the invention may be susceptible to changes; and the right to these changes is claimed; provided they are comprehended within the scope of what is claimed. a

The invention comprises further features andcombination of parts, as will'be hereinafter set forth shown in-the drawings and claimed.

In. the drawings:-'

Figure 1 isa view in elevation of several is an enlarged elevation of ther V preferablefit is obvious that as a result of a i i a single chair at Fig. 5 is a cross sectional view on line 5 The standard or Fig. 6 is an enlarged view in elevation of the single standard for the support of a single desk or single chair, and

Fig. 7 is a detail view of the connections between the back of the chair seat and the seat.

Referring more especially to these drawings, 1 designates a standard which may be constructed of any suitable metal preferably cast metal, and which is hollow as illustrated, and has at one end a broad circular base 2 provided with suitable openings for the reception of securing means 3, whereby the standard may be secured to the floor of the school room.

The standard is simple in its construction and its upper part merges into a forwardly extending horizontal arm 4: and an upwardly and rearwardly curved arm 5. Each oi. these arms merge into a cylindrical sup porting sleeve 6, the wall of which is provided with a vertical elongated slot 7. Une edge of this slot is formed with a plurality of notches 8. A supporting standard or rod 9 which is preferably hollow, though not necessarily, is designed to engage the sleeve as shown in the drawings, and this standard or rod is adapted to support either a chair seat or desk. In fact in the drawings there are two standards or rods 9 provided, one supporting a chair seat 10, and the other supporting a desk 11. In order to support either the chair or the desk, the end of the standard or red 9 is provided with an enlarged supporting plate 12, which is secured to the under face of the chair seat or the desk as at 13. The standard or rod.

9v engages a socket of this plate, and is held therein in any suitable manner, either by friction or by any other suitable means. rod 9 is provided witha transverse pin 1% which is connected to the standard after it has entered the supporting sleeve. A portion of this pin 14: protrudes beyond the surface of the standard or. rod, 9 and extends through the elongated slot of the sleeve. It is to be noted that the standard or rod 9 is capable of having slight rotary movements when adjusting the standard with relation to the sleeve. However, when the chair or desk is normally supported in any suitable adjusted position, the projecting part of the pin 14 is adapted to seat in the crotch of any one of the notches, and owing to these notches being arranged on slight inclined planes, the pro jecting part of the pin 1% will be assisted in retaining itself in engagement with the notch. In order to insure holding the pro jecting part of the pin let in any one of the notches, the supporting sleeve has a boss 15 provided with a threaded bore 16 extending therethrough. A. screw 17 engages the ti eaded bore 16 and is provided with an enlarged hand wheel 18 so that if the projecting part of the pin 14 is in engagement with the crotch of one of the notches, the screw 17 may be tightened up by manipulating the hand wheel so that the end of the screw 17 may bear against the surface of the standard or rod 9 thereby holding the projecting part of the pin 1 1 in engagement with the crotch of its respective notch. It is obvious that the chair seat or the desk can be readily adjusted to any desired position by simply loosening the screw 17, imparting a slight rotary movement to the standard or rod 9 to disengage the projecting part of the pin 14: from its respective notch and then by moving the chair seat or the desk up or down, and imparting a slight reverse rotary movement to the chair seator desk, the projecting part of the pin 14; may be caused to engage another of the notches. After this is done, the screw 17 can be again tightened, and thereby holding the desk or chair in the desired adjusted position. It might be said that the adjustment of the chair or desk will be easily ac complished by any, person, either the teacher, the janitor or even the pupil, as the construction of the'mounting for the standard or rod 9 is so very simple in design and operation.

It has been found that in order to economize on the space to be used by units of this kind in the school room it is necessary to construct the supporting standard 1. so as to hold the desk and the chair in very close positions. It has been found that in doing this, the chair seat or desk when imparting a rotary movement to either of them when adjusting either article, the chair back will abut the desk, and Vice versa. It is obvious that should the chair and the desk be mounted on the supporting standard, so as to permit of sufficient freedom of movement to I allow the adjustment of either article it will necessitate more floor space. Therefore, in order to economize on the floor space and at the same time enable the chair or desk to be partially rotated for vertical adjustment, it has been the aim in the present instance to mount the chair back 19 so that it can be swung in a vertical plane, and to a horizontal position on the chair seat. It will be noted that the chair back 19 has secured'upon the lower portions of the opposite side edges by means ofscrews 20 plates 21. These plates are provided with forwardly extending ears or lugs 2:2, which are pivoted by means of screws 23 to the opposite side edges of the chair seat 10 in such a manner that the chair back is capable of being swung in a vertical tion toward the seat, suitable toggle links 24 and 25 are provided. C-ne set of links 25 have their lowerends pivotally connected to the opposite side edges of the chair seat by means of; the screws 26. ,The upper ends of the otherlinks 2% are pivotally connected to theopposite sideedges of the chair back by means ofthe screws 27,. The links 24; and

25 are pivotally united as at 28. Adjacent where the links 24L and 25 are 'pivotally' united, they are provided with abutting shoulders 29, which prevent the; links from collapsing rearwardly and downwardly, when disposing the chair backin an operative position. r

It will he noted that when itis desired to adjust the chair or the desk or both, it is irst necessary to collapse the chair back by swinging the same in a vertical plane to a position substantially parallel with the chair seat. This can be done by collapsing the top of the chair back and moving it forwardly first having moved the links 24L and 25 in order that they may collapse as shown in When thechair back is so disposed as shown in dotted lines either the chair or the desk, or both can be readily adjusted vertically. As before stated, to adjust the chair or the desk it is first necessary to loosen the screw 17, then imparting a slight rotary movement to the standard or rod 9 disengaging the projecting part of the pin from its respective notch, then the standard or rod 9 can be moved vertically. The pin canbe returned to one of the notches, it depending on the position the chair or the desk is to assume, and then the screw 17 may be again tightened. 7

It will be noted that the supporting standard l is of such a construction and the chair and desk are so disposed with relation to each other and with relation to the standard that either one can be adjusted with freedom of n'iovenient, with respect to each other, and respectively with respect to the top part of the supporting standard L In this way either the desk or theichair is capable of having a wide range ofadjustment, which is not found to be the case in devices of similar character, As shown in the drawings, it is obvious that a single mounting can be mounted on a single standard, so that a single desk or single'chair may be supported. This is necessary in order to support the single desk at the front end of the row of such units, and a single chair at the rear end ofthe row,

for if it were not for the use of a single standard with a single mounting and a single school furniture unit thereon there would be an idle chair and an idle desk at each end of the row. Furthermore, it is obvious that these school furniture units are supportedon a single standard in the manner shown, namely the chair in advance of the desk in order to provide the usual foot and leg space between the chair andthe deskin front.

Inother words, shoulda chair be supported onthesame standard in the rear of the desk, so'tliat. an occupant of thechair can use the desk supported by the same standard by which the chair is supported, would necessitate the pupil or the occupant of the unitto straddle the supporting stanc'lard, v For example man instance of this kindthe occupant would be required to throwfoneleg vover the standard, which would not permit the unit to be used by theI female pupils, with convenience. However, it is possible to arrange the chairand the desk on the same standard isolthat'the occupant of the chair canuse the desk,'byenlarging the base of; the standard toward the rear, and peri mitting the supporting arnrfor the chair porting standard engaging said sleeve, said sleeve having avertical slot, one edge of the slot having notches and means carried by the standard which engages the sleeve to engage any one of the notches to hold the furniture unit indifferent adjusted positions, and a member to tighten up on the standard of the furniture unit to insure holding the furniture unit in different adjustedvertical positions, one of the furniture units having a chair back, and means for mounting the chair back on the chair seat, wherebythe chair back is capable of being swung verti cally toward a horizontal position parallel with the chair seat and below the other furniture unit, whereby either one of the furniture units may be partially rotated sothat either can be adjusted vertically.

2. In a school furniture unit, thecombination with a supporting standard having forward and rearwardly extending supporting arms, of a furniture unit mounted to be i adjusted in a vertical plane on each of said arms, the rear armcurving upwardly and rearwardly and terminating in a plane at a substantial distance above the plane of theforward arm, the furniture unit of'the forward arm having a chair back foldable to a horizontal plane below the other furniture unit, whereby either one'of the furniture units may have a wide range of adjustment without interference with each other, or without interfering with the standard.

3. In a school furniture unit, a support ing standard having forwardly and rearwardly projecting arms, the former being in a plane below the latter, each of said arms terminating in a supporting sleeve, a furniture unit having a supporting standard op-- eratively and adjustably engaging each of said sleeves, means for holding the standard of each unit in different adjusted positions in the sleeve, one of said furniture units having a furniture unit element movable to a position in a plane below the other furniture unit whereby either furniture unit may be adjusted vertically without interfering with the other.

j 4. In a school furniture unit, a supportin standard having forwardly and rearwardly projecting arms the former being in a plane below the latter, a furniture unit having a supporting standard operatively supported on the end portion of each arm, 'means for holding the standard of each unit in different adjusted positions, one of said mally vertically adjacent the other furni ture unit and being movableto a position in a plane below said other furniture unit whereby either furniture unit may be rotated during its vertical adjustment without interfering with the other.

In testimony whereof we hereunto aflix our signatures.

' EDWARD C. HOYER.

EDWARD C. HOYER, JR. 

